ACA Hails FCC For Barring Broadcaster Collusion

PITTSBURGH, March 31, 2014 - American Cable Association
President and CEO Matthew M. Polka issued the following statement on the
Federal Communications Commission's vote to ban coordinated retransmission
consent negotiations by separately owned, top-rated TV stations in a local
market:

"ACA
salutes Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler for leading the effort
to put teeth into the regulations that require broadcasters to negotiate
retransmission consent with cable and satellite TV providers in good faith. Adoption
of today's order extracts from a broadcaster's bite one of several practices
that most obviously harm consumers and competition. ACA members are ecstatic that the FCC is finally
banning coordinated retransmission consent negotiation between two separately
owned, top-rated stations in the same market.

"In the end, ACA really can't say it any better than
Chairman Wheeler did in his March 6 post on the FCC blog: ‘Joint Retransmission
Negotiations: Consumers Lose When
Broadcasters Band Together,' noting that retransmission consent fees shot up
8,600% from 2005 to 2012.

"ACA
and its members spent the balance of four years urging the FCC to ban the
widespread and increasingly common practice of retransmission consent collusion
by broadcasters. At significant risk of broadcaster
retaliation, ACA members documented more than two dozen broadcasters engaging
in this practice with 98 Big Four-affiliated stations in more than 20% of all television
markets. Available evidence shows that
TV station collusion increases the average price of retransmission consent by
at least 18%, leading to higher prices for consumers -- an economic reality
that the FCC understands quite well.

"ACA's
tireless effort to end this precise practice has been justly rewarded with the
relief the FCC adopted today."

About the
American Cable Association:Based in Pittsburgh, the American Cable Association is a trade organization
representing about 850 smaller and medium-sized, independent cable companies
who provide broadband services for nearly 7 million cable subscribers primarily
located in rural and smaller suburban markets across America. Through active
participation in the regulatory and legislative process in Washington, D.C.,
ACA's members work together to advance the interests of their customers and
ensure the future competitiveness and viability of their business. For
more information, visit http://www.americancable.org/

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